PERSONNEL from HMAS Albatross in the United States have completed training in the airborne weapons which will be at the sharp end of the navy’s new Sea Hawk Romeo helicopters.
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RAN personnel posted to Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville in Florida have learnt the ins and outs of both the MK-54 Torpedo and the AGM-114 Hellfire Missile.
The 10-person team spent two weeks covering all aspects of the latest in Air Launched Torpedoes (ALT) technology including banding and de-banding procedures and a further three days on the AGM-114 Hellfire Missile.
All members were successful graduates of the United States Navy MH-60R ordnance course, which teaches the handling and loading of the weapons along with maintenance, testing and troubleshooting for the MH-60R helicopter weapons systems and components.
Provided by US contractors, the training course addresses deeper level maintenance, including procedures on dismantling and inspecting certain parts of the weapons.
Leading Seaman Avionics Technician Avionics Tye Garrett said, “this training is a giant step ahead of what we were previously taught about the workings of a torpedo.”
Australia is due to take delivery of 24 new helicopters with the crews set to put their new skills to use when the aircraft begin operations from the naval air station.
For the first time Nowra based helicopters will have an operational missile capability, with the aircraft to be equipped with the widely used Hellfire missile.
